UpweySaint

Entitled to your opinion of course but I would disagree. I concede our players at full international stage have often been found wanting and that we rarely produce players who fit into the "world class" bracket even out of the national set up (of course there have been some exceptions but the "who is world class" debate is a messy one!). You suggest that anybody who seeks to understand what they consider to be under-performance as delusional but surely that hints at a bit of realism? Trying to understand why Costa Rica, Belgium or even the USA played more effectively than we did despite having fewer players of recognised quality is surely a positive thing for the state of the English game which, whatever state it may or may not be in, is not in a fixed state.

And the award for sweeping generalisation goes to .... First off yeah we had some luck winning the thing but how do you think we got as far as the final in the first place? Perhaps we are not producing players of the same quality and it really is that simple but I would contest that the fact that we make a decent fist of youth level internationals might suggest otherwise. We can't be all that terrible if we continually feature in major tournaments at senior level either.

Crikey! Showed some flash there! Good to see him doing well, keeps it up and one day he may come back

Is that his first??!?

Don't get the assumption we can only chase one player at once. Just because we go for players for whom we are not going to be 'first choice' does not mean we are not working on other targets. Not a unequivocal fact but I think the general consensus was that Gardos was brought in when it became clear we could not attract Rojos. If we are chasing Alderwield I am glad. Six million is a bargain for the player and if he goes to a club we perceive to be 'on our level' after us dropping our interest people on here would be having fits. May as well give him our best offer but make sure we have other irons in the fire.

Agree, completely. Imagine they would be more willing to entertain a bid from say Hull or the like. Only way I see us getting him, other than in a horrid Morgan swap, is on deadline day. If they want to sell him we and we can tempt them with a decent offer they can spend on their defensive targets it could get over the line ...

Townsend divides opinion but I would agree he is quality. Though the fact we have shifted our focus would suggest either we are trying a bit of gamesmanship with spurs or we got feedback from Spurs that suggests we may not be able to secure Townsend. The other two, if the scouts feel they can make the step up, why not? We have had success with players stepping up from the Championship before and the prices may be better. Like you though I would hope we could find another gem like Tadic who is quality at a reasonable price ... though this is, in itself, a gamble.

Ok fair but which proven premiership quality wingers can we a) afford and b) entice to join us ? We all know we are not shopping in the top market so we may have to either gamble on potential or settle for a flawed player, Memphis Depay is not likely to be coming our way. How about Zaha on loan? Not perfect but got plenty about him and could develop well at the club. A 'loan to buy' arrangement could be decent business.

Just a bit of a nothing game. WBA were pretty negative first half but were the better side in the second. Hoping our players gel with more time together and the ball is moved a lot faster as at times we were painfully slow in moving it about. Overall first point on the board, Forster looked good, Prowse is liable to see a few cracking set pieces sail in this season. Blue line and on we go ...

Cheers for sharing and good to hear, hope your lad enjoys his first saints game! I still remember getting Anders signature amongst my first

I conceded it is a simplistic assumption. There are, of course, other factors but pricing is a major one. Personally I would go to more games if the tickets were cheaper and sure other saints fans would say the same. Cat A games include day trippers as well as 'regular' fans who would quite happily watch us play WBA if the price was right. Leverkusen was a friendly and therefore not the best example as it is not exactly a direct parallel. And I don't think it was 'ridiculously cheap' though yes it was cheap. Obviously it is speculative but I imagine a competitive fixture at the same price would sell-out very quickly! All aside I don't realistically expect us to come out with tickets under £30 any time soon

I suppose it depends how we are measuring it. We could simply suggest that ticket sales equate to ticket price levels - if they are not selling they are too expensive (simplistic but one way to look at it). If you look at it from a different perspective (the classic German example) if the ticket price is too much for 'normal' fans then that is an issue. Being realistic for most £34 is the base price. Add in travel costs and a programme/one drink the cost can run well north of £50.

Not getting into the 'we need a bigger stadium' nonsense but Hull apparently (read it a few days back and can't find the source ... where is MLG when you need him?) did some of that dynamic ticket pricing and filled the seats by selling those not taken for £16. Understand it could be considered 'unfair' on those who have paid at a higher price but some kind of reduction on the normal rate may encourage more walk up. Anywhere a packed house would be great but as it is in football a significant portion of the fan base are priced out.

Worth noting they have a new manager at the helm so probably, I would hope, more to do with it than his solitary appearance in the premier league.

First point nice contribution from yourself in the hammers magazine. As to whether a similar feature could work for saints others have very much said it, in theory, yes. For me I like the idea of an independent monthly fanzine and think it would do decent trade with hard copies on match-day. The Wham magazine seemed to have good content from a range of sources - fans, legends, current staff and sports journalists (who always seem to write more interesting pieces outside of official club or red top publications) and, if that could be replicated, there is likely to be an audience for it. As for the paid till self-sustaining model again in theory I could get behind that but I do feel that making the first issue free (or as close to free as possible) may be the best way to build a decent potential market of paid readers (both of a matchday hardcopy and online).

Have seen him play over the back end of last season and asked myself the same question. Not sure what price Wigan have on him but surprised no premiership side has made a bid or even been credited with an interest lately. Agree he got found out a touch but he seems to have added more to his game and can score the odd belter. Imagine it is a case of a season without injury and a purple patch of form before the premiership comes calling once more.

I actually think it showed class on our part. If you don't agree fine, nobody asked you to sing, but you don't have to be such a d**k about it. Can't see us doing it with any other former player other than gentle applause for the academy grads that Walcott etc have been on the receiving end of.

I actually think it showed class on our part. If you don't agree fine, nobody asked you to sing, but you don't have to be such a d**k about it. Can't see us doing it with any other former player other than gentle applause for the academy grads that Walcott etc have been on the receiving end of.

Same issue as last year but Pelle needs times, Long has proven (okay he missed a decent one today) that he can get premiership goals, Rodriguez will come back into the side and our midfield looks to have more attacking threats as options.

Same issue as last year but Pelle needs times, Long has proven (okay he missed a decent one today) that he can get premiership goals, Rodriguez will come back into the side and our midfield looks to have more attacking threats as options.

Agreed. Showed a turn of pace and some real trickery. His final delivery was a tad hit and miss but you could see he was exasperated and, judging by his record in Holland, I imagine that consistently quality delivery is in his repertoire.

Agreed. Showed a turn of pace and some real trickery. His final delivery was a tad hit and miss but you could see he was exasperated and, judging by his record in Holland, I imagine that consistently quality delivery is in his repertoire.

As above really, some good some bad but no sign of crisis. Throw in Ramirez, get our team gelled a little more, add another creative threat and we could be looking to push into top half once again. Wanayama was imperious. The man was everywhere and his passing was really rather good. Only real negative for me, aside from not taking points, was the coverage of the game. Grievance as old as time but even the missus piped up remarked on how one side the coverage and commentary seemed. Sure it is a lovely story for Liverpool and our former players but you would hardly know their was another side playing!

As above really, some good some bad but no sign of crisis. Throw in Ramirez, get our team gelled a little more, add another creative threat and we could be looking to push into top half once again. Wanayama was imperious. The man was everywhere and his passing was really rather good. Only real negative for me, aside from not taking points, was the coverage of the game. Grievance as old as time but even the missus piped up remarked on how one side the coverage and commentary seemed. Sure it is a lovely story for Liverpool and our former players but you would hardly know their was another side playing!

Hypo I can respect that as your opinion but would disagree. I understand the analogy but the internet plays by different rules then pals down the pub. A bit of billy bullsh*tting down the pub and it is likely to get as far as your mates mate big Colin whereas on here rumours gain traction, often get treated as gospel and can have wider consequences. Appreciate nobody has said anything to get bunched about on here but just wanted to sound a note of caution on the topic. Oldskoolsi I am not trying to say x or z should not be discussed if it is done in the right way. The difference is, for me, between dealing with established facts (ie Morgan wants to leave) which the player himself made a rather public show of is different to discussing speculation about Gallagher's personal life when he appears to be a private person and we do not actually know what he is dealing with. Anyway that is my two cents worth. Thanks.